Whatever happened to the 2 week rule before allowing signup for a match?? is it gone the way of the dodo?? As good as the Automatic Signup that Omen has provided for us. I still can't shake the feeling that there are those without computer access and miss out on matches cause they are all booked as soon as they are posted on the site.
IPSC Ontario Match SIGN UP
- Thread starter maxpig
- Start date
Couldn't have siad it better myself. There are matches 2 1/2 months away that are full. Make people pay when they sign up. That way at least when they don't show up 2 months down the road, the club doesn't lose out.maxpig said:
I wonder how many no-shows there are lately?
It's up to the club reps to make sure all members have access...
Many of the people that you see on the online signup...actually signed up by phone or email and the MD's are adding them to the system
The two week window was removed quite a while ago (don't remember exactly when)
The potential for an increase in the no shows is a real possibiliy...but it's too early to tell if it's actually happening as a result of the on-line tool...
The tool isn't going away...so I guess we have to find ways to make it work for everyone
Cheers
Many of the people that you see on the online signup...actually signed up by phone or email and the MD's are adding them to the system
The two week window was removed quite a while ago (don't remember exactly when)
The potential for an increase in the no shows is a real possibiliy...but it's too early to tell if it's actually happening as a result of the on-line tool...
The tool isn't going away...so I guess we have to find ways to make it work for everyone
Cheers
stormbringer
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- S.W. Ontario
Here is an idea...
If a match 2 1/2 months away is full.............
ORGAINIZE YOUR OWN! There must be demand for a second match if the first one is full.
If a match 2 1/2 months away is full.............
ORGAINIZE YOUR OWN! There must be demand for a second match if the first one is full.
As a Match Director this tool, next to computerized scoring is the best thing ever invented for IPSC. I only received only 3 or 4 phone calls total (on the old system I would get 40 or 50)Quigley said:
Also to prevent no-shows 2 weeks before the match I used the e-mail tool to send everyone a reminder that they are signed up. The results were I had about 7 people pull out of the match immediately. (This is where the new waiting list feature will come in handy) I send another reminder 1 week before and another 1 day before. I had a few more pull out, but mostly I noticed people just moving to other squads. The end result was I had 3 no shows, I guy got sick the morning he was scheduled to shoot and 2 guys got lost trying to find the club. (They were really late so they gave up and went home, if they had showed up I would have fit them in)
FYI the match the year before On-Line Squading I has 22 no shows and only 2 bothered to contact me (after to apologize)
Do I want to go back to the old system of returning long distance phone calls, trying to figure out how to spell someone name, trying to understand a barley audible voice message, trying to squeeze one more guy on a squad because they want to shoot with so and so (or in some cases not with….) ………..ah no flipping way!
AlexS said:
This mean that administration is ####ed up! You have more people who want to participate and you cannot accommodate it! Shame on you! Shame! Shame!
If I was in business and I had people to lined up to my store, I would be giving away free champaign!!!
Quigley said:
don't get me wrong this is an excellent tool and I appreciate all the work Omen has done in developing it... I have no suggestions or comments other than well done And I hope it doesn't go anywhere... I only commented because I saw that september matches are already filling up fast.... and it is quite possible if you're not fast enough you could miss out on all the matches for the year... unlikely but possible.
Well done Omen and wait list was a good add-on tool.
(just to clarify, this is not an "ipsc ontario" system, it's an indepedent effort, available to anyone, which happens to have been adopted by a number of clubs in ipsc ontario)
hi,
the signup facilty is independent of the two week issue. If you want to lobby match organizes to keep their matches closed until 2 weeks before the date, the system will fully accomodate that. Personally, I like being able to plan my matches and squad times months ahead of time. Makes it much easier to plan days off work/etc well in advance.
If people are worried about missing out on matches (not realizing matches are available for signup), another thing I can add is an email notification of new matches being added to the system - you can opt-in for that, so you'll get an email whenever a new match is activated in the system.
As far as people not having computer/internet access, yes, I DO realize that some people have that issue, and we accommodate that, people can still signup by calling the MD directly, never touching a computer, but it seems silly to deny the other 98% of the shooters the ability to use the internet and computer system ability to the fullest, in order to protect and support those who have no such access... Yes, I plead guilty to not putting this together aiming at the lowest common denominator, in that respect, but I did my best to try and make sure no one was excluded, and people without PCs still were able to get signed up, the direct way (phone).
In the end, we have close to 400 users and about a dozen clubs using it on a regular basis... The only complains I've heard so far were of technical nature (when there was an error, something didn't work, etc), and I've heard a lot of positive feedback from both shooters and MDs. If there are things which annoy people , or features they would like to see added, let me know.. Can't promise everything will get done/addressed, but hey, some probably will. Working on this is more fun than doing paid work, haha
So:
a) two weeks - nothing to do with the system
b) no computer access - can still phone the MD to signup the old way, matches still listed on Bud's website
hi,
the signup facilty is independent of the two week issue. If you want to lobby match organizes to keep their matches closed until 2 weeks before the date, the system will fully accomodate that. Personally, I like being able to plan my matches and squad times months ahead of time. Makes it much easier to plan days off work/etc well in advance.
If people are worried about missing out on matches (not realizing matches are available for signup), another thing I can add is an email notification of new matches being added to the system - you can opt-in for that, so you'll get an email whenever a new match is activated in the system.
As far as people not having computer/internet access, yes, I DO realize that some people have that issue, and we accommodate that, people can still signup by calling the MD directly, never touching a computer, but it seems silly to deny the other 98% of the shooters the ability to use the internet and computer system ability to the fullest, in order to protect and support those who have no such access... Yes, I plead guilty to not putting this together aiming at the lowest common denominator, in that respect, but I did my best to try and make sure no one was excluded, and people without PCs still were able to get signed up, the direct way (phone).
In the end, we have close to 400 users and about a dozen clubs using it on a regular basis... The only complains I've heard so far were of technical nature (when there was an error, something didn't work, etc), and I've heard a lot of positive feedback from both shooters and MDs. If there are things which annoy people , or features they would like to see added, let me know.. Can't promise everything will get done/addressed, but hey, some probably will. Working on this is more fun than doing paid work, haha
So:
a) two weeks - nothing to do with the system
b) no computer access - can still phone the MD to signup the old way, matches still listed on Bud's website
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Omen:
I think there is another aspect you need to take into account as well.. with an automated system, there is the potantial for abuse. what I mean by this is that "I" can go to the calendar, pick all the matches that "I might" go to.. (taking up valuable space which others who 100% would go to, cannot now have).. at the last minute, I then cancel the booking.
There is no "face to face" to book and cancel, so you loose a bit of the personal responsibility for showing up, or looking like a knob for cancelling at the last minute. I agree it's 100% easier to book, but it leaves it open to abuse. Even with the email notifications, I can still book the prime spots on the "odd chance" I might actually go. (and then cancel later).
I think there is another aspect you need to take into account as well.. with an automated system, there is the potantial for abuse. what I mean by this is that "I" can go to the calendar, pick all the matches that "I might" go to.. (taking up valuable space which others who 100% would go to, cannot now have).. at the last minute, I then cancel the booking.
There is no "face to face" to book and cancel, so you loose a bit of the personal responsibility for showing up, or looking like a knob for cancelling at the last minute. I agree it's 100% easier to book, but it leaves it open to abuse. Even with the email notifications, I can still book the prime spots on the "odd chance" I might actually go. (and then cancel later).
ckc123 said:
that's the whole point. You see matches you like, you signup. If at some point you realize you can't make it, you pull out. People from waiting lists are signed up and informed...
I don't see how this is different from doing the same thing over email.
We can't build procedures on the assumption that everyone is out to screw everyone else, people need to take responsibility for their actions. Plus, everything done on the system by everyone is logged, so we know if people start to mess around with it. Reminding them about an upcoming match is good, I like that, but beyond that, we can't hold everyone's hand. We're all adults here.
This type of discussion really centres on IF we should have a system like that, and that's really something to be taken up with the clubss MDs, there is nothing I can do to prevent someone from signing up and pulling out at the last second, anymore than anyone can prevent someone from not showing up to a match.
Personally, I think that some people are a little late jumping on board, and are seeing matches they would like to shoot already full and are getting upset, coming up with hypothetical situtions how/why this is a bad idea.
it seems to be working just fine, if we do get a lot of no-shows, well, we'll have to address that at some point, but that doesn't seem to be the case these days... Matches fill up because they are popular, I choose to believe that early signups are a sign of people liking and wanting this type of facility/ability, not any hidden agenda to pull out at the last moment...
MOBILE 1 said:
It's up to the club reps to make sure all members have access to the matches...
That means (as I indicated in my previous post) that members should be able to sign up
- By phone
- By email
- Using the online app
Reading between the lines...that means as much as I personally like the system...we can not be forcing members to use it
ckc123 said:omen said:
The system is working great...
It's up to the MD to decide when they open the match up for sign ups...they can make it two weeks if they want.
In the old days...when memembers did it the old fashioned way (email
Now...we have a "scheduling tool" It works great. With the built in email functionality...it even serves as a reminder tool. Where's the down side.
There was a match that we used to shoot in the Ottawa area that was always sold out 2 months before the match date...and you had to mail in a paper form.
No method of sign up (online, email, telephone, smoke signal) is going to handle abusers...
Cripes people...2 matches are sold out...the same 2 matces that have sold out the last 5 or so years...no need to panic.
Quigley said:ckc123 said:
I think what we have there is the only "down fall" of our success over the last few years.
I’m going to go a little off topic now (but I get back by the end)
Our membership numbers has returned almost back to the old glory days. (Yes I’m old) Over the last few years we have been slowing increasing our numbers, this is great but those extra members want to shoot so they start showing up at the matches and next thing you know, the match is sold out! As a Match director that’s a great thing, it means the match is not going to loose money and I won’t be looking at a ½ full range for most of the weekend.
Now as a competitor if I didn’t get my name in soon enough, that sucks. I can remember 2 or 3 years ago it was easy to call up to get a slot a week or so before the match and get my “usual time”. I noticed the last couple of years that if I didn’t get my name in as soon as the match opened, forget my usual time; I may not even get a slot! I’ve also noticed that we have a lot of people who now will travel pretty far to shoot a Level 1 or 2 these days.
I’ve adjusted and check the IPSC / USPSA schedule every day now just to see what’s going on. I can tell you what matches I’m shooting in July and August and I’m looking at what available in September and October right now. Now some people don’t or can’t plan that far ahead (some of them rely on me to do it for them) but if you want to shoot, (especially the really popular matches) your need to mark it in your calendar and get your name in ASAP. Because the truth is we have so many shooters this is only going to get harder, not easier.
Perhaps this is something that the Board may have to address down the road, since we only have a few clubs that can hold IPSC matches right now and we may some day reach critical mass where we may have to hold lotteries to get slots (like they are talking about for the Area 2)
Now back to On-line squad signup
As a shooter I love the ability to see what coming up and to pick what time and who I’m shooting with. It beats the old days of calling in two weeks before the match and booking your self and 1 other competitor (see I told you I was old). It was so much fun listening to that busy signal for a couple of hours while you and about 50 other people were trying to call in!
